Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1956)

On the Ort onzon AMENDMENT The Justice Department has considered-with absolutely no decision — the possibility of asking the New'York statutory court to amend the Paramount consent decree to bar American Broadcasting Paramount Theatres from entering into film production without specific court approval. This has been one result of the recent announcement of AB-PT president Leonard Goldenson that the company plans to enter film production. The Paramount and RKO Consent Decrees contain no provisions barring the divorced circuits from entering production. The decrees covering Warner Brothers, 20th-Fox and Loews do have such provisions. SURVEY The management survey firm of Booz, Allen and Hamilton has been retained by the Motion Picture Association of America on a per diem basis to make a sixmonth survey of the industry with a view to streamlining film WHEN and WHERE October 7-12: 80th semi-annual convention of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, scheduled to be in Los Angeles. October 9-10: Montana Theatre Association, regular Fall meeting, Finlen Hotel, Buttle. October 15-16: Annual regional convention of Independent exhibitors of New England and The Drive-In Theatre Association of New England, Winchendon, Mass. October 22-23: Annual convention of Theatre Owners of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, Hotel Sayoso, Memphis. October 22-24: Allied Theatre Owners of Indiana, meeting at the Marott Hotel, Indianapolis. October 27: Annual dinner dance of the -Los Angeles Motion Picture Salesmen, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. October 28-30: Annual convention of the Motion Picture Theatre Exhibitors of Florida, to be held at Roosevelt Hotel, Jacksonville. company operations. The concern was employed by the MPAA subcommittee which was authorized to proceed with its work following a meeting of the MPAA board of directors. "COMMANDMENTS" Paramount Pictures will handle showings of Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" as if it were a property of the legitimate theatre, according to Jerome Pickman, Paramount's national director of advertising, publicity and exploitation. "We will present two-aday shows around the country, a ten-minute intermission during the picture, reserved seats —and here in New York we're offering blocks of tickets to brokers, at full price, if they're interested," Mr. Pickman said. The film opens at the Criterion theatre. New York, November 9. TEMPEST AT SEA Paris newspapers are mad. They have just gotten wind of the fact that French Line passenger vessels in the lucrative and deluxe North Atlantic trade show more American, English and Italian films to their passengers than French films. The newspapers point out that American, English and Italian ships concentrate on films of their own nationality, and only the French Line is without a nationalistic film policy. The French Line answers officially that since most of its passengers are American, they naturally prefer to see American films. The newspapers say this is absurd. The passenger wants to feel he is in France as soon as he steps abroad ship, and the best way to help him out, say the newspapers, is to show him some French f ilms-pref erably good French films of recent vintage. "BORDERLINE" Film makers have been encouraged by the breakdown of censorship "to skate closer and closer to the line of decency," said the Columbus, Ohio MOTION PICTURE HERALD October 6, 1956 ARTHUR LOEW resigns as president of Loew's 1 2 MPAA would expand appeals board of Production Code 12 GOVERNMENT to make theatre loans through SBA I 3 AN OUTLINE of SBA loan procedure I 3 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS— a film review 1 8 A COMMENTARY on "Commandments"— by Martin Quigley 19 MEETING of AB-PT stresses showmanship 24 RHODEN keynotes National Theatres convention 24 NEW TECHNIQUES featured at SMPTE cnvention 26 LONDON ponders "King and I" release pattern 28 VARIETY CLUB inaugurates new membership drive 30 SERVICE DEPARTMENTS Film Buyers' Rating 3rd Cover Hollywood Scene 31 Managers' Round Table 37 The Winners' Circle 30 National Spotlight 33 IN PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION Showmen's Reviews 97 Short Subjects Chart 99 The Release Chart 100 Dispatch in an editorial titled "Problem of Delinquency." The Dispatch said: "Young moviegoers, as a result, routinely see pictures from which children, a few years ago, would have been barred. Anyone who goes to the movies or watches television-and what youngster doesn't?-is continuously exposed to entertainment drenched with the atmosphere of romance, not to mention frank and open sexuality in a good many instances. " MOTION PICTURE HERALD, OCTOBER 6, 1956 9